How can I find the scientific names of plants and animals?
Finding the scientific name requires detective work, because there can be multiple common names that can vary geographically, and similar common names can refer to a variety of organisms. A good starting point is the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS), a database of scientific and common names and broad taxonomic categories.
Related Content
Do alligators and crocodiles exist together anywhere in the world?
What are the differences between endangered, threatened, imperiled, and at-risk species?
What is an invasive species and why are they a problem?
Why are bats important?
How many amphibian species are there in the United States?
Why are frog and toad populations declining?
Gap Analysis Project (GAP) Terrestrial Vertebrate Species Richness Maps for the Conterminous U.S.
The mission of the Gap Analysis Project (GAP) is to support national and regional assessments of the conservation status of vertebrate species and plant communities. This report explains conterminous United States species richness maps created by the U.S. Geological Survey for four major classes in the phylum Chordata: mammals, birds, reptiles,...
Gergely, Kevin J.; Boykin, Kenneth G.; McKerrow, Alexa J.; Rubino, Matthew J.; Tarr, Nathan M.; Williams, Steven G.
Species occurrence data for the Nation—USGS Biodiversity Information Serving Our Nation (BISON)
USGS Biodiversity Information Serving Our Nation (BISON) is a unique, Web-based Federal mapping resource for species occurrence data in the United States and its Territories. BISON’s size is unprecedented, including records for most living species found in the United States and encompassing the efforts of more than a million professional and...
Species occurrence data for the nation
USGS Biodiversity Information Serving Our Nation (BISON) is a unique, web-based Federal mapping resource for species occurrence data in the United States and its Territories.BISON’s size is unprecedented, including records for most living species found in the United States and encompassing the efforts of more than a million professional and...
Species data: National inventory of range maps and distribution models
The Gap Analysis Project (GAP) produces data and tools that help meet critical national challenges such as biodiversity conservation, renewable energy development, climate change adaptation, and infrastructure investment. The GAP species data includes vertebrate range maps and distribution models for the continental United States, as well as...
Gergely, Kevin J.; McKerrow, Alexa
New Species Habitat Distribution Maps Now Support Conservation Planning at a National Scale
A new dataset of habitat distribution for terrestrial vertebrate species in the conterminous United States is now available from the USGS.
Just HOW EARLY is spring arriving in your neighborhood? Find out . . .
Get your flip-flops and shorts out because spring is arriving very early this year . . . at least 2-3 weeks early across almost the entire Southeast, from San Antonio to Atlanta to Washington, D.C. This unusually early spring is likely to keep rolling north, bringing relatively early ‘signs of spring’ to portions of the central Midwest and northeastern states.
2017 September Evening Public Lecture — What's in a species name?
Title: What's in a species Name?: How wildlife management relies on modern systematics research and museum collections
* What have museum collections taught us about invasive diseases?
* When is an endangered species not a species?
* How can birds in a museum help protect airline passengers?
* How do geology and biology govern what species we find on
Untapped Capacity: Our 4,000 Species of Native Bees
So many unknowns and so many potentials.
- In secret, Native Bees, not honey bees, do most of our pollinating
- Why we don't know the status of 99% of our Native Bees
- Why are there 400 Native Bees without names
- Why biodiverse native plant communities = biodiverse native bee communities